Legend of Dragoon: Recreation
by Tricia Wall
Summary: Two hundred years have passed since the Legend, but trouble still calls in the land of Endiness. As the world faces peril, a new group of heroes take a rise to bring an end to it.  REVISED VERSION
1. Chapter 1

I've dedicated myself to completely revising this story. If you read the original that I've posted, you can definitely tell that I've written that in sixth grade. Now, as a twelfth grader, I'm going to put some sense into this story, from beginning to end. o3o

What has really inspired this are my likers on my Meru Facebook page. I've received some positive responses in regards to showing this story. Not wanting to disappoint them, I'm renewing the story.

I also have a few other things to thank for the inspiration: The Legend of Dragoon 2 project for giving me some inspiration into the LoD fandom again; "Rescue Me" by Kerrie Roberts; My undying dedication to this story. I've been writing this story since middle school, and some of my watchers know how I am with my inability to finish stories. This is the only story I've been going at for such a long time. I just hope that some of that dedication can inspire me to work on some of my other stories.

Now, without further adeu, the adventure begins.

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><p>Introduction<p>

_It was the break of dawn, and I saw myself in familiar, quiet woods. The trees seemed to be taller than me. The only light was coming from behind me. Since wary shadows were flickering from one spot to another, the light was probably fire._

_I felt my eyes burn as tears rolled down my cheeks. Constantly tripping, I didn't get far very fast._

_I was running. Running. Why?_

_After another trip, I crawled into a hollow log that was lying on the side of the road. I crouched, wrapping my arms around my legs. (I took notice that my hands and legs were very small.) Suddenly, I heard a stick snap outside the log. I lightly winced before keeping my breath still. With a quick glance, I saw outside on the ground a shadow of a person with a sword No, it wasn't a person; It couldn't be. I buried my head into my arms, trying to stop crying._

_Then, sudden felt warmth hit my skin._

_I looked up and realized that the sun was rising. The shadow melted away, and so did the dark prescence that accompanied it. Curious, I crawled out slowly to see if my pursuiter was gone.I peeked to the side of the log, and to my surprise, there was nothing there. However, I took another look and realized that a small figure was hiding. It was a young boy with unkempt, white hair that covered half of his face. He shivered, for whatever clothes he had once wore were gone now. His face held absolute horror, and all he could do was stare at me. When I tried to move closer, he flinched before running away._

"Wait!" I called as I tried getting up, but I failed in the attempt. I rested my arm on the log. "I don't wanna be alone," I continued in a murmur. After the tears returned, I sniffled, "Mommy Daddy NOO!"

That was when I woke up, eyes shooting open. Gasping for air, I calmed down as I realized it was a dream. Relaxing against a tree stump, I thought deep into it - The dream was what happened to me thirteen years ago.

I just didn't realize at the time that the event was going to play a much bigger role in my journey.

Chapter 1: Bad Day

Avrin

It was barely thirty minutes after that when I found myself in trouble. I was unsure how these Basil soldiers got into their minds that I stole something from the kingdom, but nevertheless, I led a speed chase. I tried to reason with them, but they only continued to shout:

"Give us back the jewel, thief!"

There were two soldiers chasing me. They seemed pretty determined to catch me, but all of that armor and heavy weapons were wearing them down. I always preferred to keep lightly packed - a short, cyan dress that was decorated with red ribbons, running shoes, my long, brown in a low bun, and my chain-sickle attached to my side. I can't understand how I appear to be a thief if I got no place on me to tuck it in.

Lost in thought, I didn't realize the third-party in front of me in time - a rather tall soldier. Before I could manuever out of the way, I collided into him, falling back. The gigantic soldier didn't even budge. Instead, before I could even get up, he picked me up by the shoulders and presented me to the other two as they finally caught up.

"Good work," one of them said, "now let's bring her back to the castle, just as the King requested."

I had never felt so on-the-spot before, and to be honest, it was embarrassing. As the soldiers escorted me into Indels Castle, the big one constricted my arms with one hand. All the employees and visitors of the castle stared at me, wondering what it was that I had done. I wanted to crawl under a rock.

"Please, I'm telling you," I begged softly, trying to not draw any more attention than I already had, "I didn't steal anything. Please let me go." Despite all my pleaing, they didn't show any kind of response. The tall soldier never said or expressed anything, so begging him would be useless.

Finally, we reached the top floor. The two average soldiers crouched down on one knees, whereas the third merely bowed. "We have retrieved the woman, your majesty," one of them announced.

The King, seated behind the wall in front of us, said, "You may leave us be." As commanded, the giant released my arms as he left with the other two. He glanced back at me before closing the doors, leaving the King and I alone. Looking up at him, all that I saw was his crown - which sat on long, blonde hair - and his sweaty face that rested on a silk glove-donned hand. Standing back a little, I was able to see a forest green cape around a dark brown shirt, silky gloves on each hands, and beige pants. On his face, he kept a sweet smile.

King Albert VI. He came from a long line of royalty; It was no surprise that an Albert would take the throne of Serdio. I had also heard that he had a younger sister that currently ruled over Tiberoa, due to the two countries' intertwined heritage. This royal family was ultimately respected.

I was unsure of what to do. Whenever I tried to talk - to defend myself - nothing would leave my mouth. My body was stiff from fear, and the most movement I could achieve was twiddle with one of my ribbons. True, the King seemed to be a gentle character, but I wasn't brought to him in good terms. Regardless of whether or not I had stolen something, I was in trouble.

Finally, applying to the silence, the King looked down at his free hand and murmured, "So, this is her, hmm?"

The silence had returned. I wanted to slap myself. "Get to the point, Avrin," I thought. Finally bringing up my courage, I hesitantly called, "Your Majesty...?"

The King looked at me, remembering that he wasn't alone. "Ah yes, I almost forgot. What is your name, dear?"

"A-Avrin," I answered. I was slightly afraid to make eye-contact with him, so I kept my eye gaze away. "There's been a misunderstanding... I haven't stolen anything. I know you might not believe me, but please give me a chance to defend mysel-"

"Oh no, but of course," the King agreed, to my surprise, "This most certainly has been a misunderstanding. Why would a sweet girl like you steal something valuable? I'm terrible sorry for the inconvenience." I replayed what I heard in my head just to make sure that I wasn't hearing things. The King was going let me go? Just like that?

Boy, do I overjudge things, or what?

When the King motioned for me to leave, I took one last look at him before heading for the doors behind me. As I pushed them open, the three guards stayed at post there. One of them had a smug look on his face.

"Well, what happened?" he asked, acting like a rotten girl wanting to get the juice on something.

"He's letting me go," I replied a little too bluntly as I walked past them. I didn't bother looking back at him, but I was sure that he was just as shocked as I was.

Leaving Bale, I kept thinking about how the King acted. He was preoccupied with other matters, he even forgot that I was there. He let me go without any confrontations. If he didn't mention the topic at hand, I would have thought that he didn't even know what I was arrested for.

Deep in thought, I was soon drawned out of it when something smacked the back of my head. Immediately turning around, I prepared to attack whoever it was. No one was there. Rubbing the back of my head, I looked down on the ground and saw a light blue gem. I picked it up and examined it. It was truly a beautiful little sphere. On the outside, it had a polished, pearl-white shell, and its core was a deep blue color that was thin as a pencil.

Things as valuable as this doesn't simply attack someone without a source. Was this the jewel that was "stolen"? Wouldn't this just simply make me look bad? Nevertheless, I wasn't going to make myself worse by leaving with it, and leaving it behind would be even more terrible. The least I could do was return to the castle and ask the King himself if this was what he was missing.

However, something caught my attention - a ferocious roar coming from a nearby cave. I recognized the cave as Limestone Cave, and it is not a path that travellers would normally take to-and-fro, due to its population of dangerous creatures. That roar certainly sounded like it would fit the profile. Why so loud, though? Perhaps someone had decided to go through the cave after all, and they are indeed trouble. After all, those creatures don't often get company. Setting my mind, I went to the cave.

Inside the cave, everything was completely damp. The dark minerals glistened to the sample of light from above. Walking down the natural stone steps, I became very cautious with watching my footing. As the ground flattened out, the corridor opened up to a large, open area. The scent of the forest was immediately replaced by all the dampness.

As I advanced more into the area, the roaring became more ferocious. Finally, I saw the source of the cries: An enormous millipede about as tall as a four-story building. The monstrous insect was fighting against a man with cobalt blue armor. Holding a sword, the man was able to dodge some of the millipede's attacks at an efficient pace. When he spotted a chance to strike, he took the chance and attacked with his sword. The creature once again roared, becoming furious.

For a battle this intense, I decided that I shouldn't become involved. I could just leave the way I came in and walk around the long way. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for me. The millipede froze as its head pointed in my direction. The man paused, confused of its sudden halt, until he looked over at me. The man had snow-white hair, and he had his bangs pushed to one side so it covered half of his face. Though I was some distance from him, I could see a hint of blue in his exposed eye.

"It's not safe here," he strictly stated, "Get out, quick!"

Before he even finished his sentence, the creature finally moved, slithering along the ground with haste. It took me a second before I realized that it was coming towards me. I knew that I didn't have time to pull my weapon out, so I sprinted for the exit. However, as I soon as I got to the first stone step, I realized that it was too high for me to climb within a short amount of time. Accepting that I was in deep trouble, I turned around to face the ballistic insect.

By some miracle, before the millipede lunged itself at me, a sharp object pierced through the middle of its body, right under its head. As it came back down, it crashed into the wall to my left. That's when the cave began to shake. I was unable to move my legs, due to the intense vibration of the ground. To my surprise, the man appeared out of nowhere and literally swept me off of my feet to move me away. Within seconds, rocks fell down where I was just at, blocking the exit.

I stared at the pile of stones in awe before looking up at the man. I was right about his eye being blue - it was a deep, rich color. His other eye was still hidden by a thick mass of his bangs. His face was completely expressionless, minus the small, upward curl in his eyebrow. Dark bags laid vacant under his eye, and his skin was quite pale.

Instantly, I became selfconscious as it came to my realization that he was still holding me in his arms. "You can put me down now..." I murmured, feeling awkward. Realizing this as well, the man hesitated before setting me back down on my feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"Y-yeah," I responded, chuckling nervously, "thanks." The man stared at me, making me feel uncomfortable. Finally, he walked away to collect his sword, allowing me to breathe freely.

As he pulled the blade out of the creature, I noticed the way that he held his sword. Instead of around the grip, his fingers curled around the guard. Odd, since the guard is the piece of the sword that protects your fingers from unecessary damage. However, it was probably that strange handling that allowed him to throw the sword accurately at the millipede within a short period of time, given that he has some muscular strength.

"I'm sorry if I brought any trouble," I continued.

"No, you're fine," the man assured me, "Uroburos is a very sensitive creature. If not for your intervention, the fight may have lasted a bit longer. What are you doing down here, anyways?"

"I heard a noise," I explained, "so I came to check it out."

"You came to...?" the man repeated before trailing off. He seemed a bit angry as he sighed, continuing, "That seems pretty reckless, considering you weren't even prepared for whatever was going on."

"Yeah..." I agreed, feeling even more embarrassed. "I'll keep that in mind." After giving a polite bow, I turned around on my heels, getting ready to leave.

"Ma'am, where are you going?"

I turned around, looking back at the man. I was a bit surprised that he was adressing me as "ma'am", since he seemed to be the same age as me. "My name is Avrin," I said. "The exit's blocked off, obviously, so I have to get out the long way."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he offered.

"No thanks," I declined, "I'm more prepared this time. I promise." Holding my sickle in my hand, I waved a farewell and smiled before resuming my leave.

I almost overestimated the other creatures and beasts that I encountered in the cave. They weren't as sudden and fast as Uroburos, so I had some relief spread through me. It had probably been a solid thirty minutes before I saw the light glisten on the rocks.

It was good to smell the fresh air again.

As the trees had once again surrounded me, I looked up at the sun. It seemed to be a little bit in the afternoon, according to the sun's position. Turning around, I looked at the object that opposed the sun in the sky: The Moon That Never Sets. The name was true to itself, for the sphere was visible in the brightest of days. I've heard that the Moon kept the same orbit pace as the earth, hence why it never sets. Even in its mass galore, it remained a grey color along the sky with a tint of turquoise.

The Moon had instantly reminded me of the gem. However, despite my frantic search, I couldn't find it anywhere on me. "I must have dropped it in the cave..." I muttered to myself. Do I let it be then? It wouldn't be my problem any longer, and only fools that enter the cave would be able to encounter it. (I suppose I'm calling myself a fool as well.) Then there was that white-haired man...

However, before I could get into deep thought about it, something ran into me. The force was completely unexpected, I almost fell straight towards the ground. Fortunately, I was able to react quick enough to regain my balance. I glanced quickly at whatever it was, only to realize that it was a person. In the mere second, I saw it was a young man with short, silver hair. He wore a red button-up shirt that was left open to reveal a white undershirt. He wore khakis with a single red knee armor over his left knee. As the man glanced back at me, I saw the deep golden color in his eyes.

The second quickly left as it came. The man scoffed, regaining his balance from rebounding off of me, before running around me. With haste, he sprinted into the mouth of the cave. Oh boy, how disappointed he would be once he realized that there was no other exit. Then again, he was in a hurry - so much as to not even apologize - so perhaps a trip through the cave wasn't his intention. Was he hiding? From what?

"Avrin, is that really you?"

The familiarity of the voice had startled me. With hesitation, I looked behind me to see a group of thugs. In the middle of the group stood a man with sharper clothing, as well as light brown hair that reached down to his shoulders.

Gulping, I attempted to keep my cool as I muttered, "Warven..."

"My my, how you've grown," Warven said, a hint of gloom haunting his voice. "How long has it been? Six... Seven years, perhaps? Look at you; you've certainly developed." A playful smirk curled on his lips as he chuckled.

"So... you're still alive?" I questioned him, ignoring the fact that he was checking me out.

"Yes, but of course," Warven gloated, shifting his weight as he rested a hand on his hip. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Don't be," I said, returning the taunting smirk as I hovered my hand over my weapon, "I've been waiting for this moment..."

As soon as I lashed out my sickle, all four of his henchmen charged at me. I lunged my weapon at one of them, making the chain wrap around their legs before pulling them down to the ground. One of the others tripped over their comrade as I returned my weapon to me. The third one ran the fastest, jumping over the other two as he sprinted towards me. In a hurry, I dodged, but that had played into their favor. As the third one continued to come at me, the fourth one leaped off of his shoulders as a boost before crashing down on me. I fell on the ground, the back of my head recoiling from the cold dirt. Before I could get back up, the fourth one pinned me down by the neck with his dirty boot. I tried to push him off with my feet and hands, but one of them pinned my weapon to the ground as the other two pinned my arms and legs down as well. Before I could register it, I was trapped.

"Well, that was bitterly disappointing," Warven yawned as he approached me. "You've had almost ten years to plan your revenge, and this is all you could do. Tsk tsk..." I tried to shout a nasty comeback at him, but his thug pushed his foot down more, choking me. Crouching down, Warven toyed with my bangs, murmuring, "I'm surely going to enjoy this..."

Suddenly, a tree branch above us began to shake abnormally, raining down leaves. Curious, Warven looked up to see what was causing it. What was next wasn't what he expected to hit him. Literally. Someone fell from the branch and landed right on his face. As Warven grunted in pain, the person jumped over henchmen number four and kicked his legs out, kicking the two to my sides really hard. Still midair, he grabbed the shoulders of the thug at my feet and as he pushed him, he kicked the one on top of me into Warven. Within a second, all five of them were down.

As he landed on his feet, I instantly realized that it was the man that was previously running from them before. Pulling me up, he commanded, "Let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

I apologize to everyone that has been expecting this chapter for so long. I was suffering from the case of no-inspiration. It's a tragic thing for one to suffer from. Anyhow, my inspiration came and went, but I think the fact that I recently bought Legend of Dragoon once again (plus the fact that I'm sleep deprived) that did the trick. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter, and wish for a speedy arrival of chapter three! :D

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><p>Chapter 2: Confrontations<p>

Zylup

As I tossed in some wood, the fire crackled as it shot up some sparks. Poking at the flaming pile with the stick, I stirred the fire until it began accepting its new members.

"Eh, that should be fine," I mumbled. As I sat down, I glanced over at the girl. She hadn't said a word since the assault. I wanted to know if she was okay. I'm pretty sure that it was my fault that those guys attacked her, since they were chasing me to begin with.

As I took a toothpick from my pocket, I stated, "That was seriously stupid, charging into the fight." I admit, I'm not the best at starting conversations, but we weren't going anywhere to begin with. When she didn't respond, I locked the toothpick in-between my teeth, adding, "It's never a good idea to take a group of guys head-on by yourself."

"Yeah, that seemed pretty reckless..." I heard her mutter, sounding as though she has heard this type of lecture hundreds of times. She raised her head to look at me. "Why did you come back and help me?"

Biting on the toothpick so it motioned up and down, I scratched my head as I answered, "I felt bad. They would have never run into you if it weren't for me."

"Oh yeah," the girl said, "why were they chasing you?"

Taking a nearby stick, I tossed it into the campfire. "So I don't get any thanks?" I asked, avoiding the question.

"Right, of course," she said, suddenly looking ashamed, "thank you for saving me."

"Geez, you don't need to explain why," I sighed as I rested on my back. As I stared up at the sky, I noticed that the girl kept silent again. Looking over at her, I saw her looking back down at the fire. _Shit,_ I thought, _good going, wise-ass..._ Clearing my throat, I looked back up at the sky as I asked, "So, um, where do you come from?"

With a steady voice, she replied, "Shira. It's a small village in Mille Seseau."

"Mille Seseau, huh?" I said, smirking. "You must be on some kind of quest or something to be a long way from home, right?"

Lightly chuckling, the girl said, "Yeah, you could say that... Oh, right! My name is Avrin." She held her left hand out to me, and it took me a moment to realize that she was exchanging a greeting.

Lazily offering my hand to hers, I simply stated, "Zylup."

After shaking my hand, Avrin released it as she continued, "So Zylup, what did you do to pick Warven's bone?"

"Warven?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean the head honcho of that gang?" Avrin nodded as a response. Judging by the fact that she knew the man's name, she must have known him in the past. Hesitating for a moment, I answered, "He left some of his belongings out. I didn't see anyone around at the time, so I thought they were just up for grabs. My mistake, obviously. What about you? Did you personally know the guy or something?"

"It's complicated..." Avrin replied, looking at the flames dancing. She didn't seem to want to talk about it, so I decided to let it slide. After a long moment, she asked, "Could I tell you something?"

Puzzled, I answered, "I'm no priest, but sure."

Taking in a deep breath, Avrin said, "Today has been an incredibly difficult day. I almost died twice. I was framed and almost arrested. It was all due to bad timing, but there was nothing on my part that I could do anything about it. I just wonder how I was able to stay alive on my own for so long..." As she dragged the last word out, she seemed to resume going back to thinking to herself as she stared at the fire.

I waited a moment before sitting up, saying, "Well, everyone's got their bad days."

"That's true," Avrin agreed, "Besides, it's kind of nice to be able to catch my breath now." Suddenly, she jerked as she jumped onto her feet. "The gem!"

"The what?" I asked.

"I dropped it in the cave!" she exclaimed, looking down at me with wide eyes. "I was supposed to go return it before—"

"Hey, calm down," I cautiously warned, standing up as well. "If you want, we can go back and look for it tomorrow. Limestone Cave is supposed to be more dangerous at nighttime."

Avrin looked at me with the purest expression of awe. "You would really help me out?"

Avoiding eye contact, I fiddled my toothpick with my teeth as I replied, "Sure. I don't have anything important to do at the moment anyhow." Looking back at Avrin, she surprised me as a soft smile lightened her face up.

"There won't be any need for that."

The voice came from behind me. Acting on instinct, I pulled out my dagger from its holster, turned on my heels and faced the source, holding it up in defense. The person standing in the shadows did not react, but I kept my eyes pierced on their silhouette. Despite their body being hidden, a glimmering object was visible in the palm of their hand.

"Show yourself!" I demanded. For a moment, the person still showed no reaction. Slowly, they took a couple of steps before the firelight was able to hit their face. Widening my eyes, I gagged, "You…"

"Hey," Avrin said, "you're that guy from the cave."

With his snow-white hair covering half of his face, he said, "I found this a little while after you left the cave. I figured it must have been yours, so I wanted to return it."

"Oh," Avrin replied, "thank you." However, neither of them made a move to deliver or retrieve the gem, since I stood between them, continuing to pierce a glare at him.

Finally, he recognized me. "Zylup, it's been awhile…"

"No kidding," I growled.

"Zylup, you know him?" Avrin asked.

"His name's Enga," I muttered, "and just knowing him will be the worst mistake of your life." Enga said nothing to defend himself, just as I had expected. "Actually, I still have a bone to pick with him…" Tightening my grip, I dashed towards him. At the same time, he switched the gem to his other hand as he pulled out a sword. By the time that I got to him, I held my dagger against his neck, and he held his blade against the side of mine.

"What are you doing?" Avrin called as she ran over to us. I refused to let up, keeping my scorching gaze on him, and he returned a blank look.

"This has nothing to do with you, Avrin," I stated.

"Well now it does!" she replied angrily. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two, but could it be settled another time when I'm not around? The last thing that I want is to have my day end on a bad note!" I stopped for a moment. She was right – now wasn't the time to let my selfish actions take place. Waiting a moment, I finally backed away from Enga, who still kept a glazed look.

"You best get ready for the next time we meet…" I warned him before returning to the campfire. So many feelings ran through my head – rage, retribution, remorse… Those were only a few I could list without being explicit about it. The very presence of Enga makes me want to act out on my temper. Honestly, if it weren't for Avrin, I would have severed his head.

After sitting in front of the fire for a while, I peered behind me. The two of them were in a deep conversation, though most of the talking came from Avrin. Where did she say she knew him from? Limestone Cave? Seriously, that hardly surprises me. As the world's worst being, he deserves to live in a cave. Not wanting to make any sort of eye contact, I looked back at the fire. It may have been another minute before Avrin returned as well.

"Is he gone?" I asked, not bothering to look back myself.

"Yeah," Avrin merely responded. Taking her seat, she glanced down at the fire before looking at me. "What was that back there?"

"I'd rather not explain," I stated, "it's a really long story. Just know this: He isn't the hero he's desperately trying to be." Avrin didn't say anything, acknowledging my decision to stay vague.

After another minute or so, she asked, "I didn't mean to pry. Is it alright if I use your campout for tonight?" There she goes again, trying to make it impossible to be annoyed with her, even when it wasn't necessary.

Looking directly at her, I lightened up my face as I said, "Of course you can. How about this: You need to return that gem, right? I could be your bodyguard and make sure that you get there in one piece. How does that sound?"

Bewildered, Avrin inquired, "Really? You would guide me there?"

"Yep," I replied, putting on a smirk. "You can consider it as me making up for my behavior earlier."

Smiling in return, Avrin agreed, "It's a deal then. You're my bodyguard." The title sounded silly to me. I've always played the role of protecting someone, but "bodyguard" was a first.

A quick thought came to my head. Slipping off my red button-up shirt, I gave it to Avrin as I said, "Here. The fire will probably go out later on tonight, so it might get cold."

"Thank you," she nodded, but then her eyes came drawn to the bandage on my left bicep. "What happened?"

"Huh?" I looked down at my arm for a moment, thinking of something to say. "Oh this? It's nothing, really. It's just a birthmark that looks like shit."

"A birthmark?" Avrin repeated. "Can I see?"

"No, really," I said, chuckling nervously, "it looks like someone smeared a handful of shit all over my arm—"

Laughing, she confirmed, "Okay, forget I said anything." Positioning my shirt over her legs, she finished, "Good night, Zylup."

I nodded, lying down as I replied, "Night." It absolutely amused me. It had been a long while since I had someone to talk to, but it was even longer for someone to wish me a good night. I began to wonder what our small expedition would be like until I fell asleep.

The following day, it was the sound of squirrels in the woods that had woken me up. Sitting up, I gripped my head as I grumbled. I had another one of my consecutive nightmares, but I still couldn't recall what it was about. I know it had to do with when I was a kid, but other than that, everything was a blur.

Giving up on trying recalling the dream, I remembered about my new acquaintance. However, as I looked to my side, there was no Avrin. Instead, my red shirt and the teal gem lied in her place.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Mission

_Enga_

It was approximately a quarter past ten in the morning. I still had to turn in my report about the cave. However, due to yesterday's event, I would need to walk around the mountain.

I found it unsettling. For the past two weeks, people south of the mountain had turned up missing, and their boney remains were found a couple of days later. Most of the disappearances occurred near Limestone Cave, so the king had requested me to investigate. I never found anything out of the ordinary. The Urobolus did attack, but only because I was a threat in its territory. Even so, why would the creature go out of its way to attack others outside the cave? It was extremely sensitive to sunlight as well, so it didn't add up for me.

There was also that girl. (What was her name? Arvin? No, that is ridiculous – that is a male name.) There was something different about her. Yes, I suppose the fact that she mindlessly charged into the cave makes her more carefree than some other women, but that is not what I meant. The gem that she dropped had a peculiar aura to it. Though it really held my interest, it was not mine to keep, so I gave it back to her.

I resumed with my current mission when I heard someone call, "Hey!" Curious, I looked behind me to see who it was. Many things fail to surprise me, but this made the exception; the person was Zylup.

"Zylup…?" I began as I examined him. He was completely out of breath. His right arm was hanging onto his red shirt, and his left hand was holding the gem. "Where's your friend?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it's not swell to see you either," Zylup retorted. As he caught his breath, he continued, "You're the last person that I'd ask for help, but I'm running out of options."

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Does it have to do with that girl?"

"Avrin," Zylup corrected me, though he seemed rather offended by what I had called her. "I woke up, and she was gone. I don't think she left on her own because she forgot her gem-thingy." When I didn't say anything, he added, "I know how you are with finding stuff, so… Ugh, dammit. Please, just help."

He did not seem thrilled to be in my presence at all. Even though he was asking for my help, his eyes held an undying hatred. I could sense that he was struggling with making this request.

Sighing, I asked, "Do you have anything with her scent on it?"

At first, Zylup did nothing. It took him a moment to realize that I was indeed assisting him. He handed me his red shirt, saying, "Here. She covered herself with this when she went to sleep." I took the shirt and examined it. Nothing was out of the ordinary with it. No rips, no stains.

After sniffing the cloth, I fought back a frown as I muttered, "It smells too much like you…"

"Gee, thanks," Zylup interrupted in a sarcastic tone, rolling his eyes.

"But," I continued, "I can pick up a sample of her scent." I took another sniff just to make sure. Gladiolus. This was the scent that the girl, Avrin, had left. "We need to go to where you last camped," I directed as I gave his shirt back.

"Why?" Zylup asked, criticizing me.

"If the girl had left recently," I explained, "then her trail should still be fresh. We need to go to the starting line."

Reluctant, Zylup slipped his shirt on as he replied, "Um… Okay." We returned to the campsite, with Zylup trailing behind. I have been told that I had a decently amazing speed, but this was the first time that I noted the opinion. I was only walking, and I was ahead of Zylup by a couple of steps. Of course, this could all only be a trick for him to attack me from behind. He always wanted to kill me, to put it bluntly, and ignoring the fact would be foolish.

At the site, I peered at Zylup. He glared at me in return, but that was all. He waited. He really wanted to find this girl, and lowered to the point of asking for my help.

"Well?" he asked, becoming irritated. Returning to the task at hand, I tilted my head upward and sniffed the air. I could not pick up any sort of aroma similar to gladiolus, so I moved to a different spot and did the same thing. Eventually, I picked up a light scent. It was vague, but it was floral. I turned around, trying to pinpoint where the scent was strongest. Discovering it, I observed the path that lied in front of me.

"East," I confirmed.

Kemat, the town that resided closest to the southern entrance of Limestone Cave. It was here that villagers mysteriously disappeared and then were discovered too late. Unfortunately, as of a few days ago, this land is nothing more than a ghost town.

Even so, the girl's scent lingered here.

"Where the hell is everybody?" Zylup asked, taking in the abandoned scenery.

Still trying to follow the scent, I explained, "They were all slaughtered. People would go missing one at a time, and it was over a long period of time. Withal, the body count rapidly increased. There were those that decided to leave, believing the town to be cursed. I can't, however, guarantee that they did escape. Even as we speak, more corpses are credibly being recovered."

"And none of the officials are looking into it?" Zylup questioned me, sounding troubled.

"I am the official," I bluntly stated.

At first, Zylup did not say anything. Finally, as he chuckled, he said, "You, an official of the capital? That's cute, that's really cute." I honestly could not tell whether or not he was being legitimately serious, so I simply ignored him until I followed the trail to a building.

The building was old, and it appeared to be a warehouse. With only one dim window that sat on the top half of the wall, it seemed abandoned, just like the rest of the town. The door was barely cracked open, so I gave a quick peek.

Before Zylup decided to charge mindlessly in, I held my arm up to keep him back, stating, "There's someone in there." He did not stir, so I proceeded to observe the interior. Other than the dim sunlight that peeked through the flimsy window, it was dark. There was one – no, there were two people. One stood behind a railing on the second floor, while the other looked up at him from the ground. "Your girl's here," I muttered.

"She's not my girl-" Zylup responded defiantly, but I reminded him to keep quiet. "What are they talking about?" he mumbled.

"It's hard to say…" I whispered. Opening the door to get clearer audio would only pour in more light than there already was, thus giving us away. I placed my ear by the small gap that the open door had left. I couldn't hear what the man had to say, but I was able to make out what Avrin said every now and then. "… I can't allow you get away with this…" I quoted. "… I'll never forgive you… You monster…"

"Who's saying that? Avrin?" Zylup murmured before rolling his eyes, adding with a lower tone, "She would say the most clichéd thing in an interrogation." Peeking through the crack, trying to get a glimpse of the scenario, he added, "At least, I think it's some sort of interrogation."

"It unquestionably is some sort of confrontation," I stated, still trying to listen in on the conversation. Though I was unable to make out what the secondary member was saying, it was easy to tell that they were male. Hysterical laughter emitted from this man, though the words that followed it were inaudible. A small clank of chains hit the hard ground soon after. Unable to fully see what was happening, due to a mass of my hair in the way, I inquired Zylup, "Can you see what's happening?"

"Not exactly," Zylup replied, peering into the dark-lit warehouse. "Avrin, she... She has a weapon out, I think. She's looking around, but I don't see what. Wait..." A long pause emerged from him, as well as inside the building. Suddenly, Zylup exclaimed, "They're surrounding her!" Before I reacted, he busted through the door.

"Damn it..." I mumbled, straightening my back as I reluctantly followed after Zylup. It would have been wiser to develop a plan of intervention, but it seemed as though there was no choice in the matter now. It was time to improvise, as well as take in the fully exposed situation.

The girl from the cave stood at the center of the floor, squinting her eyes as the blinding sunlight filled the area. Indeed, there was a man on a walkway above the floor, leaning against the railing. On both floors, shaggy men lingered on the barriers of the light and the shadows. Taking a quick count, there are about ten of them in total.

After taking a moment to realize who we were, the girl called, "Guys? What are you two doing here?" I noted that she was wielding a weapon, a sort of chain sickle. Before, in the cave, she had handled that very weapon.

"Forget about us," Zylup responded, taking a step closer towards her, "what the hell are _you_ doing here, Avrin? What exactly is that guy doing?"

Upon being pointed at, the man on the walkway chuckled, intervening as he said, "Oh wow, Avrin, you've brought friends! You've actually brought friends!"

Turning to look up at him, the girl demanded angrily, "You leave them out of this, Warven!"

From this, the man, Warven, blasted into a fit of laughter again, "Me? They practically _bursted_ their way into this! Anyhow, my business is with you, isn't it? I'll let my pets play with those two for a bit."

Becoming easily irritated, Zylup ran up to the girl and grabbed her arm as he stated, "Come on, let's get out here!" No sooner had he said that when a loud slam emerged from behind me. Swiftly turning around, I realized that two of the shady characters had sealed off our exit, lazily locking the doors in place with a thick chain line.

Slowly backing away, I pulled my sword out of its sheath as I said, "It seems like we won't be leaving so soon..." The two at the entrance, as well as the rest of the thugs, had started to surround us. At this point, Zylup pulled out his dagger, holding it up in precautionary defense. The three of us were essentially back-to-back. As the goons continued to close in, something peculiar came to my attention.

"Hey," I began, briefly glancing over at the girl, "do you notice anything odd about these men?"

Raising an eyebrow, the girl replied, "What...?" Inspecting them again, the obvious differences in their appearance became clear. The colored skin of one man's arm was not the same as the color of his face. For another man, one leg was more smooth and curved than the other. Plus, overall, they were all irregularly balanced.

"At least," I continued, "if they are _still_ men..." A silent gasp from the girl confirmed that she understood what I was getting at. The majority of this town's population had turned up missing. In this very warehouse, in some shape or form, this is where some of them reside; leastwise, parts of them. Somehow, some form of black magic pieced the parts of the dead back together, regardless of whether or not the piece had fit, and it brought them back to life to mindlessly obey their master.

"Of course," the girl stammered. "He _would_ do something like this..." It was one thing for her to understand what was happening, but by her tone, it sounded as though she fully understood, like she had the bigger picture. Grimacing, she added lowly, "Leftovers..."

"Leftovers?" Zylup quoted, looking over his shoulder. "What exactly does that mean? Avrin?" The girl made no response. Instead, she glanced off to the side, her face slowly cringing.

"Come on, fellas!" Warven abruptly announced. "I'm dying of _starvation_ up here!"

A wave of silence followed the echo that bounced off these tin walls. Along with that wave, taking in the account of the girl's behavior, a dawn of realization swept over me, as well as Zylup.

"Oh G... Shit, that's disgusting," Zylup gagged, sounding as though in disbelief; or, at least, he wanted to be in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" To this, the girl cringed even more.

Well now, this was certainly a first. I had never dealt with a case relating to cannibalism before, and I especially had never been directly involved with such a subject. How queer this would look on my report. This was the solution though – the cause of the Kemat residences' disappearance. Now that I had found the cause of this case – and the cause is a very serious threat – it was my job to eliminate this threat.

First, we had to dispose of his puppets. Along with Zylup and his girl, I charged forward, raising my sword high in preparation to strike. The corpse-like being on the left made an advance as well, followed by the one on the right. A third party member came in from the right, ready to slash a sort of knife through the air. Before they could make their first move, I messily swung my sword horizontally, cutting deep into the third person's side. I would have muttered an apology, but these things were no longer properly living. The least that I could do was put them down, and let their souls be free of misery.

Pulling my blade out of the puppet, I barely stepped back in order to kick its figure at the other two. As they were preoccupied avoiding the body, I swung my sword again, beheading the one on the right as the one on the left simply received a scratch on its shoulder. The headless one stumbled its way to the ground, unable to use most of its senses to guide itself, and the third one struggled to pull itself up with its major injury acting as a handicap. I could have fought them all day, but it would bear no fruit so long as they continued to move. Undying soldiers, prepared to serve their master even in such imperfect form – this could possibly end should I eliminate the puppeteer.

First, I would have to get rid of this obstacle. Unfortunately, I was temporarily distracted, leaving my opponent to attack me with a hatchet-like weapon. I moved back to dodge, with the hatchet hardly repelling off my armor. However, taking another step back, my heel slipped on something, causing me to fall backwards. As the back of my head collided with the cold floor, it took me a moment to regain myself. Sitting myself up on my elbows, I noted that I had tripped over the head that had previously sat on the second puppet's shoulders. Was it not convenient for it to roll all this way?

There was no time to insult the head with foul profanity, for my fight was not yet over. My opponent charged after me with a limp, and I had no time to rise onto my feet. Instead, as their shorter leg took lead, I swung my left leg in order to push said leg to the side. As they temporarily stopped in order to regain balance, I kicked my other leg behind their knee, knocking them onto their backs. Scrambling onto my feet, I took my sword in arm once again before facing my adversary. Taking the handle into my other hand, I raised my blade before driving it downward, impaling them at the center of their chest. The force did not pierce the ground underneath them, so they were not entirely held in place. Still, they were rather focused on pulling my sword out them, leaving them distracted enough for me to look around.

The other two were still engaged in combat. I seemed to have been more fortunate, for Zylup had to take on half a dozen encounters. The female, however, was warring only two of these puppets, and she seemed to be handling herself rather well. Finally, I looked up at the second floor railing. Warven leaned on the railing, his arms turned inward as he observed the scene below him in awe. His attention was hardly in my direction. Perhaps this was the time for me to end this. I had no chance to successfully strike from this angle, so I would have to find a way up.

The room was still somewhat dark, due to the main doors being closed. However, with my personal experience, my eyes were able to fairly adjust to the darkness. Looking around, I searched for any set of stairs that would allow me access above. There were no stairs past Zylup and his friend, though this was no trouble, considering I would prefer to take the discreet path. Inspecting the other side of the room, I found not stairs, but steps to a ladder engraved in the wall. I had to act with haste, while I still had the opportunity to strike.

"Come on, are you kidding me?!" There he goes again. Since I had last heard of Zylup, he had not changed. He continued to complain and bicker, and at this point in life, it seemed that this would be one aspect of him that would never change. Never mind that though. As much as it would seem I would want to reflect on Zylup's character, I had no time for that. Pulling the sword out of my victim's chest, I dashed towards the end of the room. Swiftly climbing up the steps as I held out my weapon with caution, I lightly landed on the grate of the second floor.

A stifled scream echoed off the walls. Crouched down, I peered through the railing to trace the source of the outburst back to that woman. She dangled a couple of feet off the ground, being held up by a long chain line that hung around her neck. Zylup went after her, though with her opponents added to his count, they easily knocked him back. As he exclaimed some vulgar words, a laugh erupted from Warven, who held the other end of the chains with somewhat abnormal strength.

"Come on, Avrin, is that all you've got?" Warven teased as he tugged the chain, making the girl, Avrin, gag. She constantly attempted to free herself, but to no avail. Performing an exaggerated yawn, he continued, "You're a joke. What happened to redeeming yourself, to avenging that girl? Is it really going to end with you turning blue?" She made no response – nor could she anyway, since all that could come out was a suppressed cry. "Or, perhaps..."

Placing a good footing, Warven retrieved more of the chain links, making Avrin squirm in pain as more distance was placed between her and the hard floor. Zylup called her name, ruthlessly slashing and hacking the undead henchmen in effort to move them away. As a mad chuckle escaped from him, Warven declared, "Maybe I could start off by seeing how many bones we can shatter over, and over, and over again before we begin-"

During the showy performance, I interrupted him as I lunged my sword, successfully cutting into his chest. A small "unf" left him as he glanced at me, fury lingering in his eyes. Releasing the chain – forgetting who lied at the other end of said chain – Warven pushed the sword out of his chest, causing the steel blade to fumble against the railing. Not having time to defend myself, he kicked me back, forcing me to fall back. Hurriedly returning to my feet, I was able to block with my weapon in time as Warven attacked with his left. However, I was surprised as a hidden blade came out from underneath his wrist, the tip of it barely an inch from the bridge of my nose. With his right hand, he smacked my sword out of the way, not minding the slice it left in his palm, before he drove the blade on his arm at me once more. Jumping back, I grabbed his arm and turned it away from me before swinging my sword again. He threw his other arm up, another hidden blade being revealed as he blocked my attack.

"Hey, hero," Warven taunted, a smug look lingering on his face, "try to not bore me this much. Your death won't mean as much if this keeps up." With effort, he forced my weapon away, trying to claim another chance to strike. This time, he managed to slice my right bicep, resulting in a slight wince escaping from me. Freeing his other arm from my grip, Warven gained some distance between us, holding his blade-bearing arms to each side of him as another laugh erupted from him.

I messed up; I could not afford to let him live any longer. Taking the first move, Warven charged towards me, ready to swing both blades at once. Instead of raising my sword, I ducked as low as possible, feeling the motion of his attack breezing above me. With an opening available, I scooped my sword upward, piercing through his midriff.

A cough broke out, and a drop of warm liquid dripped onto my exposed cheek. Warven remained frozen, other than to drop his arms limply to his sides. Removing my weapon, I stood straight as I examined the opponent before me. Blood had begun to drip from the edge of his mouth, though it was his torso that was more bloody. His eyes had gone blank, as though he had died on the spot. I would have believed so, if he had not coughed again. As more blood poured over his bottom lip, he looked up at me.

"Well d-done, hero," he said, though all that confidence that defined his voice was absent. After he briefly gagged, he grabbed the railing for support as he licked his lips. Glancing up at me once again, though it seemed his eyelids grew weary, he growled, "But it won't b-be done by you." Before I could solve what he meant by that, he grabbed the railing, pulling himself over to meet with the ground below.

It took me a moment to return to the ground. It seemed that it was Zylup that broke the woman's fall, and when she came to, she constantly apologized for the inconvenience. What had once became a battlefield turned into a room of corpses. As I had expected, once you take down the puppeteer, you take away the control over the puppets.

Warven fell face-first. Blood ceased to run from his wounds, and his arms and legs were twisted in odd directions. His head had turned awkwardly to the side, revealing his wide eyes. I supposed that he thought if anyone were to kill him, it would be himself, so that way, no one would claim the title for themselves. Either way, the job was done; the danger had been eliminated.

"Is he... really dead...?" Zylup's female friend had walked over, holding her arm, which was possibly sore from her fall.

"There is no pulse," I stated. "Even if he had not fallen, he would have died from tremendous blood loss." The girl seemed to be in disbelief. She stared at the corpse for the longest time, seeming to rule out whether or not the scenario was legitimate.

Joining us, Zylup inquired, "Avrin, exactly what was he to you? He said something about..."

"It doesn't matter," she intervened, shaking her head. "He's dead now. That's all that matters now." Zylup opened his mouth to add his input, though nothing came out. After a moment, he closed it, staring at the body as well.

Sighing, I walked over to the main entrance to unlock the doors as I stated, "You two can look all you want – he won't be leaving for a while. As for me, I'm done here. I have to submit my report to His Majesty, and there will be those here in a few days' time in order to clean up—"

"Wait," the brunette called, looking over at me. "His Majesty King Albert?"


End file.
